"That defense is something special," Roethlisberger marveled after a game in which the Steelers offense managed just one touchdown and 1.9 yards per rush. "Crazy. Relentless. Confusing. And a lot of heart."

Leave it to Big Ben to describe the essence of a great defense. He knows one when he sees it. In Sunday night's blood-and-guts, heavyweight championship bout, Roethlisberger was pressed, battered, bullied and harassed by the other great defense on the field.

But as solid an effort that an undermanned-yet-determined Ravens D came with, it couldn't quite crack Roethlisberger the way Pittsburgh unhinged Ravens rookie quarterback Joe Flacco. Roethlisberger protected the football and improvised for big plays as he scampered for his life — like the 65-yard TD throw to Santonio Holmes or a third-down, chain-moving completion to Heath Miller,

Flacco, meanwhile, finally started playing like a rookie again as three of the 30 passes he put up were picked off. After not committing a turnover or taking a sack in the first two playoff games, he was sacked three times and left with a season-low 18.2 passer rating.

That's what a good defense will cause.

Yet the real definition came in crunch time. After Baltimore scratched and clawed to pull within 16-14 in the fourth quarter, the Ravens' final three possessions ended in turnovers. The Ravens O was turnover-free in its first two playoff games, but had four giveaways against the Steelers. This needs little explaining.

"Our defense has been doing it all year," said cornerback Deshea Townsend, whose 26-yard interception return TD of a Tony Romo pass inside the final two minutes sealed a win against the Cowboys in Week 14.

This time, all-pro safety Troy Polamalu provided the finishing touch with his 40-yard return of Flacco's pass — the first of the turnovers that ended three consecutive series.

"Certain guys are built for those moments," said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. "That is why he is who he is as a player and as a person. It is not too big for him. He relishes to deliver for his team under those circumstances. He will tell you it is an 11-man job."

Sideline to sideline, coordinator Dick LeBeau says this might be his best defense ever. That's a strong statement, considering the great defenses LeBeau has coached. But he gets no objection from Polamalu. The Steelers D also led the NFL in 2004.

"Without a doubt, this is the best defense I've ever played on, but we'll see what happens in the next game," Polamalu said. "I think that's going to solidify how good we are. This team had to rely more on defense. We had to make a lot more big plays. We caused and forced a lot more turnovers than in the past."

Polamalu mentioned the next game, which speaks to what will shape up as a central theme in Super Bowl XLIII: Does an air-tight defense stop an explosive offense?

To win a record sixth Lombardi Trophy, the Steelers D will have to deliver one more big-time performance. The red-hot Cardinals offense has flourished in the playoffs behind the hot arm of Kurt Warner and remarkable play-making skills of Larry Fitzgerald, while suddenly establishing a running game.

Defense wins championships? Next test, coming soon.

On to the awards …

JARRETT BELL'S NFL ACCOLADES -- CONFERENCE
CHAMPIONSHIPS

Stud of the week: Larry Fitzgerald

After monster performances in the Cardinals' first two
playoff games, the all-pro receiver struck lightning again with a nine-catch,
152-yard stamp in the NFC title game. Fitzgerald again jump-started the
offense with early big plays, scoring three TDs in the first half, including
a 62-yard haul off a flea-flicker in the second quarter. He is a walking
definition of a player in a zone: In three playoff games, Fitzgerald has
23 catches for 419 yards, with five TDs. His receiving yardage establishes
an NFL record for most in a postseason, surpassing Jerry Rice's 409 yards
in the 1988 postseason. And Fitzgerald still has another game to add to
the mark.

Defensive player of the week: Troy Polamalu

The Steelers' all-pro safety put the AFC title on ice
with a dazzling, cross-field return of a Joe Flacco interception for a
40-yard TD with 4:24 left. The timely pick and hair-flapping return was
just one of Polamalu's key big plays. Late in the first quarter, he also
dove over the top of the pile on a fourth-and-1 to help wrestle Flacco
to the turf for no gain. Early in the third quarter, he sniffed out an
option and dumped Flacco for an eight-yard loss that led to a punt. All
this from a player who was held out of a practice last week as a precaution
while treating a calf injury.

Special teamer of the week: Jeff Reed

The Steelers' reliable kicker was good on all three
of his field goal attempts -- from 34, 42 and 46 yards away. This cannot
be taken for granted. Not at Heinz Field. And certainly not on a night
when the wind chill at kickoff was 15 degrees at kickoff, bolstered by
stiff winds. Reed's 46-yard trey late in the third was huge in that it
recaptured a two-possession lead for the home team.

Rookie of the week: Tim Hightower

The Cardinals running back, a fifth-round pick from
Richmond, knifed his way into the end zone for an 8-yard, game-winning
TD off a screen pass on third-and-goal that capped a dramatic march to
bring home a championship. Including the TD, Hightower converted two third
downs and one fourth down on the 14-play, 72-yard drive that consumed
7 minutes, 52 seconds.

This week's genius: Ken Whisenhunt

The Cardinals coach, trailing by a point, faced a crucial
decision after Tim Hightower was stuffed on third-and-1 at the Eagles
49-yard line with just more than 8 minutes remaining. Go for it on fourth-and-inches?
Or punt and hope the defense makes a stop to get the football back? Whisenhunt
put it on his offense, calling Hightower's number again for a run around
right end. It picked up six yards, and the Cardinals kept marching for
the game-winning TD.

Comeback player of the week: Terrell Suggs

The Ravens linebacker, knocked out of the previous
week's victory at Tennessee with a strained right shoulder, gamely fought
through the injury and had an impact role on a defense that allowed just
one TD. Essentially playing with one arm, Suggs had two tackles (both
for losses), two sacks and three quarterback hits.

Unsung hero of the week: O.J. Brigance

Brigance, the Ravens' director of player development,
has been an inspiration all season as he battles Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Brigance received a game ball after the divisional playoff victory at
Tennessee and was on the field Sunday for the pre-game coin toss as an
honorary captain. Despite his deteriorating condition, Brigance hasnt
stopped coming to work each day and maintaining relationships with players
he has assisted with myriad off-the-field issues.

This week's big surprise: Cardinals in the Super
Bowl

The Cardinals are in the Super Bowl. This is not a
misprint. After years in the NFL wilderness, the Cardinals will play for
the NFL crown last won by the franchise in 1947. Until this postseason,
the Cardinals had won two playoff games in 61 years. Now they will head
to Tampa with a four-game winning streak that is the longest within a
season for the franchise since 1999. To advance, the Cardinals had to
rally back after blowing an 18-point lead. Nobody said it was easy.

This week's blunder: Steelers' time management

The Steelers' clock-management just before halftime
was atrocious. Out of timeouts on the Ravens' 21, and with 16 seconds
on the clock, Ben Roethlisberger threw a check-down pass to Mewelde Moore
in the middle of the field, rather than throwing a pass to the end zone.
Moore tried to score, rather than giving himself up to allow for a spike,
and the clock ran out on the Steelers as they looked to pad a 13-7 lead.

Did you notice?

Steelers rookie receiver Limus Sweed made amends for
his dropped pass late in the first half -- which cost his team a 50-yard
TD -- with three clutch plays in the second half. First, Sweed decapitated
Corey Ivy on a crushing block at the end of Heath Miller's 30 yard reception.
Then it was a breakup of an errant 29-yard pass to the end zone that Frank
Walker had in his hands for an interception. And on a third-and-8 early
in the fourth quarter, Sweed's 14-yard catch on an "in route"
helped the Steelers dig out of a hole deep in their own territory.

Stat of the week

Kurt Warner is the second quarterback to take two different
teams to a Super Bowl, matching the achievement of Craig Morton, who led
the Cowboys (V) and Broncos (XII) to Super Bowls in the '70s. Warner,
who had four TDs and a 145.7 passer rating on Sunday, is 3-0 in conference
title games and 8-2 in career postseason starts.

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more.